The bamboo is nature's most surprising plant. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant grew about 1. 5 metres in 24 hours! The bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo in the world.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimetres wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres wide. This plant also has different colours.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools. Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. People often use bamboo to support new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water by using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money. Bamboo pipes (管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.
